Fingernail guard



July6, 1943. s, SHERM N 4 v 2,323,854-

FINGER NAIL GUARD Filed J'an. 26, 1942 Patented July 6, 1943 UNETEDSTATES FATENT OFFICE FINGERNAIL GUARD Sidney Silverman, Providence, R.1.,

Application January 26, 1942, Serial No. 428,275

3 Claims.

My present invention relates to a fingernail attachment and moreparticularly to a guard for protecting the fingernail from bumping ortouching other objects.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an integralfingernail guard that can readily be attached to a finger to guard andprotect the nail.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fingernail guardfor protecting nail polish on a fingernail while drying.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a fingernailguard suitable for hospitals and clinics for protecting the finger endduring medical treatment.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fingernail guardwhich is simple in construction and is easy and economical tomanufacture and to assemble.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, myinvention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosedin the detailed description following, in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, and more specifically defined in the claimsappended thereto.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative guard embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of still another form of my invention;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the clamping portion of the same;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the guard portion of the same;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of another modification of my invention;and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of still another form of my invention.

The present invention provides a fingernail guard that can readily besnapped over the end of each finger to protect the fingernail fromcontact with other objects. The invention has particular application inpreventing the smearing of fingernail polish while drying, so that thewearer can smoke or read, but may readily be applied to other uses, suchas the protection of the fingernail during medical treatment.

Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawing illustrate one embodiment of my invention,wherein the fingernail guard I0 is preferably made in a unitaryconstruction out of a stiff, resilient, transparent material such asLucite, but may be made of metal, cardboard, or similar material and maybe colorecl. The guard [0 comprises a clamping portion I I and a guardportion [2. The clamping portion H is preferably formed with an invertedU-shaped ridge l3 on the top portion thereof, and integrally dependingannular clamping portions Hi and I5 shaped to resiliently clamp aroundthe second joint of the finger. The clamping portions l4 and l 5 may besolid, or may comprise two or more separated finger members, asillustrated.

The guard portion !2, preferably formed integrally with the portion H,is generally spade shaped, the inner Wide end having an integralconnecting portion it connected with the edge of the ridge it. The ridgeI3 is thus extended across the portion l6 and gradually lessens andmerges into the surface of the guard portion l2. With the aboveconstruction, the body or clamping portion ll extends tightly around thefinger with the ridge l3 extending vertically from the top thereof. Thispositions the guard portion 12 in a plane parallel to the upper surfaceof the portion ll but spaced therefrom, so that the guard extendsparallel to and over and above the fingernail and spaced therefrom.

The ridge l3 thus serves to space the guard I2 from the fingernail.However, with the above construction, the ridge is also serves as abackbone or stiffener to retain the guard l2 in rigid position over thenail; it provides the clamping portions l4 and IS with sufficientresiliency to tightly retain the guard ID on the finger; and it servesas a handle for placing the guard on the the finger or removing it.

The spacing of the guard portion l2 from the nail protects the nailpolish from smearing and leaves suflicient room for air circulation fordrying. Furthermore, where the guard is used as a protector, the spacingleaves room for necessary bandaging.

While a transparent material is neater and permits ready inspectionwithout removing the guard, it can also be stamped from sheet metal,carboard or similar opaque material and colored to suit the user.

If desired, the guard may be made as shown in Fig. 3, wherein theclamping members I! and I8 have their ends l9 turned outwardly andupwardly. This permits the guard to more readily slide and snap over thefinger when being put into position.

The construction shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is designed to permit readyremoval and replacement of the guard without removing the clampingportion from the finger. The guard comprises a clamping portion 20 and aseparate guard portion 2i. The clamping portion 20 is formed with aninverted U-shaped ridge 22 and clamping portions 23, the ridge 22 beingWider at the bend 24 than at its lower ends 25. The guard portion 2| isprovided with an integral inverted U-shaped clamping portion 26 which isalso wider at its upper end, the portion 26 being ada ted to snap overand frictionally and resiliently engage the ridge 22 on the clampingportion 20. This permits positioning of the clamping portion 20 in thefinger independently of the guard, and permits removal or replacement ofthe guard over the fingernail (as for changing bandages) withoutremoving the clamping portion.

Where the guard is made of a heavy rigid material, such as metal, theridge may be eliminated as in the construction shown in Fig. 7. In thisform the guard comprises a clamping portion 21 and a guard portion 28formed integrally there with. The clamping portion is substantiallyannular in shape, without a ridge, and the guard portion is integrallyjoined thereto by a connecting portion 29 which is bent upwardly fromthe front edge of the clamping portion so as to raise the guard portionabove the level of the fingernail.

If desired, the guard may be formed of a single integral length of wireformed as shown in Fig. 8. In this form no ridge is necessary, theclamping portion 30 and guard portion 3| being integrally joined by aconnecting portion 32 which is bent upwardly to raise the guard portionabove the level of the nail.

The present invention thus provides a fingernail guard which is light inweight, but with sumcient rigidity to protect the nail. The guard iseasy and economical to manufacture and assemble and simple and easy touse.

While I have described certain specific embodiments of my invention, itis obvious that changes may be made in the size and shape and relativearrangement of the parts, and in the materials used, without departingfrom the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A finger nail guard comprising a finger clamping portion adapted tobe releasably mounted on a finger in the rear of the finger nail, saidclamping portion comprising an inverted U- shaped ridge havingintegrally depending clamping fingers, and a nail guard portion adaptedto extend forwardly from said ridge and in spaced relation over thefinger nail, said nail guard portion having an integral ridge adapted tosnap over and interlock with the ridge on said clamping portion.

2. A finger nail guard, a finger gripping portion having finger grippingsides and an upper longitudinal raised portion, and a nail protectingportion of curved forwardly tapering construction extending from saidraised portion in alignment therewith, whereby said nail protectingportion extends over the finger nail in spaced relation thereto when thefinger gripping sides are mounted on the finger.

3. A finger nail guard, a finger gripping portion comprising two arcuatefinger gripping portions having their upper ends shaped to provide araised ridge, and a nail protecting portion of curved forwardly taperingconstruction extending from said raised ridge in alignment therewith,whereby said nail protecting portion extends over the finger nail inspaced relation thereto when the finger gripping sides are mounted onthe finger.

SIDNEY SILVERMAN.

